8 Things I've Learned as a College Football Mom

No. 1's college football season is about to kick off in 17 days! We'll be making the eight-hour truck from Virginia to Ohio to cheer our boy and his team on. I seriously cannot believe that football is back!

This will be my third year as a college football mom, so I'm no longer a rookie. Here are EIGHT (in honor of my boy's number) things I've learned along the ride:

1. It's a full-time job. You thought high school football was a lot? Collegiate athletes (specifically D1 players) have jam-packed schedules; literally from sunup to sundown. A typical in-season day for No. 1 begins with 7am breakfast, followed by practice from 8-11am, lunch, 3pm lift, meetings from 4-7pm, followed by a walk-through until 8pm, dinner, rest and repeat. Once school starts in two weeks, class and homework will be thrown in. And yep, your professors still expect your work to be turned in on time... game week or not!
2. Summers are short. See above. No. 1 was home for less than 20 days this Summer. I never want him to feel left out of our family vacations, so I am always sure to schedule them around his availability. 
3. Everyone is talented. There's a reason only 7% of high school athletes go on to play in college. You're competing with the best of the best. Work hard, be patient. Your time will come! Which brings me to number 4.
4. Redshirting is a blessing in disguise. Of course your child wants to play as soon as they get to college. They were probably always on the field (or equivalent for their sport) in high school. They wouldn't be collegiate athletes if they weren't! BUT, you will learn very quickly that the size, age, and experience of those you are competing against is drastically different. As a 19-year-old Freshman, my son had 24(24!)-year-olds on his team. (Think re-classing, redshirts, etc.) He was redshirted (as were 99%) of the Freshman on his team. This ultimately gives him an extra year of eligibility AND schooling. Looking back, it's definitely a win-win situation.
5. It's a lot of travel. For the athletes AND their families. Even though No. 1 didn't play his Freshman year, he still traveled with the team as a signal caller. Hubby and I decided early on that if he traveled, we would too. Gone are the days of playing your local hometown teams. You will be traveling to several different states. Plan early! As soon as that schedule is released, start booking your hotel stays. The closer to game day it gets, the higher the rates will be. Not only that, but rooms sell out!!
6. Those post-game 10 minutes are everything. EVERYTHING. After each away game, the families gather near the busses to await our players. That is when you can sneak in that big mama bear hug. There is nothing I look forward to more. They make every single mile worth it!
7. Find your tribe. Because just like in youth and high school sports, it takes a village. We have an amazing group of families that we tailgate and cheer with. For home games, we also do post-game tailgates and feed our boys as well as any other teammates who are hungry. Such a great tradition!
8. It goes by fast! I'd say even quicker than high school. At least it feels that way! I feel like I was just crying my eyes out and dropping him off for Freshman year. How can this possibly be year 3?! So savor every moment, mama. Take it all in. The good, and the not so good. Remember that only 7% of high school athletes are playing at this level. Never let a day pass without letting them know just how proud you are of them!

Wishing you all a healthy, successful season! GO RED FLASH!!!

Team Mama Idea: Valentine's Day Care Package

Valentine's Day is just two days away! My boys may be 20, 18, and 15 (whoa, that makes me feel old!) now, but that won't stop me from doing a little something extra to make them feel special. Even for the one away at college.

Two of my Sports Mama BFFS (our boys played high school football together and are now each playing in college) and I got together last Friday to make our boys Valentine's themed care packages. We all brought a home baked good as well as other store-bought treats. 

We ended up with a smorgasbord of goodies, everything from brownies to hand warmers to jerky to chapstick! Each boy got one (or two or three!) of everything you see pictured. This is definitely the way to do it!

We put it all in boxes, added some pink, red, and white crinkle shreds, and a super cute card with a handwritten note. We then taped them shut and they were ready for the post office. You definitely want to pay the bit extra for priority mail due to the baked goods. 

No. 1 received his package yesterday. It arrived in perfect condition. 

Seriously, how cute is that card?!? He was super surprised and super grateful. Proof that they still appreciate surprises from their mamas... even if they are 20-year-old big, tough college football players!

Don't have a kid away at college? No worries. This would be just as special if it were hand delivered.

Have a great day surrounded by those you love and cherish, Sports Mamas!

*** 2/7/25- They were such a big hit with our boys last year, that we got together and made them again!

*** Click here, here and here for some of my past Valentine's Day ideas!

Sports Mama Tip: How to Mail Your Collegiate Athlete Homemade Treats!

Two posts in a week?! I'm on a roll! Just wanted to jump on here really quick and share an idea with you all, especially for the mamas with collegiate athletes.

We never stop missing our kiddos; no matter how old they get. And whether they like to admit it or not, they miss home too. They miss us, their siblings, their room, pets, and of course homemade food! Because let's be honest, those dining halls get old. Quick!

I recently started mailing No. 1 baked goods. One of his absolute favorite things I make are rice krispie treats. I use this recipe here. It calls for more butter than the original recipe, as well as vanilla extract. The recipe also has you stir in whole marshmallows at the very end and cautions against packing them down very tightly. They come out ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

Perfectly sweet, moist, and fluffy. I have to stop myself from digging in the pan one too many times!

So how did I get them from VA to PA, you ask? I mailed them!

Once they were completely cooled, I cut them into squares. I then individually wrapped each square in saran wrap. And finally, I put each individually wrapped treat in a freezer bag.

And added a little handwritten note, of course!

I then headed over to my local post office and mailed them. Two days later and he had homemade rice krispie treats! And I had a happy boy!

According to google, they should stay fresh for up to five days. I advised him to put them in the fridge *if* he still had any on day four. And that was a BIG if.

College kid not a rice krispie treat fan? No worries! Two of my sports mama BFFS were telling me that they've mailed their boys cookies and brownies (one of them mailing all the way to Florida!). No complaints whatsoever!

I posted about them in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook group and received even more tried and tested ideas:

• protein balls
• muffins
• candied pecans
• oreo truffles
• homemade tortillas
• blondies

I will definitely be trying some many of them! Speaking of the Facebook group, have you joined us yet? 57,000+ real sports mamas, just like yourself!

I hope you found this post helpful. Do you mail your collegiate athlete something not mentioned above? I'd love to hear about it!

Sports Mama Tip: Recruiting Process 101

2.2.22.... February 2, 2022.... One of the best days of my life aka National Signing Day. No. 1 did it, mamas! He signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and football career at the next level. I HAVE A COLLEGIATE ATHLETE!!!

No. 1's been playing the Quarterback position since he was 8 years old. In fact, he was only 12 when I started this blog, crazy! We didn't really begin the recruitment process until his Junior year. He is our oldest and the first collegiate athlete on both sides of the family, so we really had no guidance. If we did, we would have known to begin much sooner.

I don't want you all to make the same mistakes we did, which is why I decided to write this blog post. Now I am by no means claiming to be an expert in this area, however, I did learn a lot along the ride. And thankfully, it all worked out. No. 1 achieved his goal of receiving an athletic scholarship at the Division 1 level!

Here are my 10 tips to help you navigate the recruitment process:

1. GRADES. This is my MOST important tip. Get that GPA as high as you possibly can. One of the first things that a college coach will ask you is what your GPA is. Don't wait until your Junior and Senior year to start. It will be very hard to do at that point. A's and B's, little to no C's! People are often misinformed when they read the NCAA eligibility guidelines. They see that they only need a 2.3 for D1 and a 2.0 for D2. That is the bare minimum to be eligible to play yes, but you still have to be accepted to the college. It doesn't matter how good you are!
2. Visit the NCAA Eligibility Center. Create a free account. There is no need to upgrade to the paid account until you are sure that your athlete will be playing at the Division 1 or 2 level. Be sure that you are on track to meet all of the requirements to be eligible; including GPA, core courses, and test scores.
3. Film. Make sure your athlete has film. This is one of the biggest ways that your athlete will be evaluated. If your high school or club team doesn't record games, you do it. Film is your best marketing tool. You don't need a fancy camera, you can even record on your iPhone. Don't wait until they're on Varsity to start. Your kid is on the Freshman or JV team? Get film! You want to be on coaches radars sooner, rather than later.
4. Social Media. Social media is huge! Almost all of my son's contact with coaches came via Twitter. Have your athlete follow schools they're interested in, as well as the coaches. Make sure your athlete's handle is professional; it should be their name not something like "Flashy Dude 21". List their position, measurements, and GPA in the bio. Have them toot their own horn. Upload your film and share your accomplishments. Get chosen as a team captain? Share it! Earned a scholar athlete award? Share it! Broke a school record? Share it! Share, share, SHARE! 
5. Camps. From our personal experience camps at specific colleges you are interested in are the way to go, not combines. Combines turned out to be more of money grabs. College coaches are rarely at combines. Focus your time and energy where it can potentially pay off.
6. Do NOT pay for a recruiting service. I repeat, DO NOT PAY FOR A RECRUITING SERVICE! It is totally not needed. Google is your best friend, mama. Use it. Google the colleges you are interested in, find the contact info for the coaches (head and position) and send them your film. Film is what will draw them in.
7. Be realistic. Not everyone is a Division 1 athlete, and that is ok. Only 7% of high school athletes go on to a play a sport in college, with less than 2% going on to play at the D1 level. Do not discredit Division 2 and 3 schools, or even JUCOs. Playing in college, at any level, is a huge accomplishment!
8. Respond to all coaches. This ties in with number 7. No. 1 had contact with coaches from all 3 divisions and responded to each and every one of them. You never know where they can end up. My neighbor played Division 1 soccer. She was originally recruited to play Division 2 soccer, however that Coach ended up moving up to Division 1 and took her with him. The athletic world is very small. Don't burn your bridges!
9. Let your kid lead the way. This is their future, not yours. Coaches want to hear from them, not you. The purpose of calls and visits is for the college coach to get to know the athlete better. They want to see/hear how they conduct themselves; their maturity level, their plans for the future, if they will be the right fit for their program. You can definitely help them, just take a backseat. Help them come up with a list of colleges, proofread their emails before sending out, remind them to check and respond to their messages.
10. Enjoy the ride. No one said it would be easy, but they did say it would be worth it. Everyone's ride is different. Some kids have 20+ offers, some have 1. Some have full rides, some have PWOs. Try not to stress too much. The process will be over before you know it and you will be wishing for the time back. I promise.

I hope you found this post helpful! For daily #sportsmomlife inspiration, be sure to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group and connect with thousands and thousands of REAL Sports Mamas, just like yourself!